DIY Pressed Flower Art

Sometimes it’s hard to get your creative juices flowing. Life gets in the way and there either isn’t enough time or you have more important things to do. This DIY Pressed Flower Art can be done in stages and it’s not the least bit stressful. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. To get started, you don’t even have to go shopping. All you need are flowers and a newspaper. I actually pressed these flowers last spring but never got around to doing anything with them. It was such a delight to finally open the newspaper sections and see what I had. You know what they say…simple pleasures are the best.

So let’s get going. First I’m going to show you how to press the flowers and then we’ll make the wall art.

How To Press Flowers

First thing to do is harvest your flowers. Any flower with a thin stem will work. I did this in the spring so I used pansies and coreopsis. Other blooms that press well are daisies, black eyed susans, cosmos, larkspur, marigolds or zinnias with small blooms. They don’t have to be from a garden. Flowers from a florist or grocery store work beautifully.

Gather a few sections of newspaper. Fold the sections in half, and then in half again. Carefully lay your flowers in the newspaper as show in the picture below.

Fold the left side of the newspaper section over the flower blooms. Make sure that the petals are flat.

Carefully place the folded up newspaper sections in a large book. Stack a few more books on top so there is plenty of weight.

Wait four weeks. At the end of the four weeks your flowers will be dried and ready to make your DIY Pressed Flower Art!

It’s best not to peak at the flowers while they are drying. Until they are completely dry, there is a chance they could stick to the newspaper and then tear when you tried to look.

Fast forward four weeks. Your flowers are dry and it’s time to get creative!

DIY Pressed Flower Art

Supplies Needed:

The first thing to do is print your background paper. I’ve included links to three choices at the end of the post. Then place your flowers on the paper. Move them around until you are happy with the way they look. Sort of a dry run.

The Gluing Process

If you are using the glue pen, depress the tip until the glue is running smoothly. One at a time, lift each flower off and apply the glue TO THE PAPER and then gently place the flower back. If a petal comes off, just glue it back on. Same with the stems. Two of mine broke but I just glued them together on the paper. Regular Elmer’s Glue could also be used but take care not to use too much. I liked the control I got with the glue pen. I had no smeared glue at all. Once you have all your flowers glued, let them dry for 30 minutes.

If you are framing your art under glass, there is really no need to apply the matte sealer. I used it just to see how it would work. Be careful when choosing a sealer. This particular sealer goes on dry and very matte. It did not discolor the flowers or the paper. Another option for this wall art would be to Mod Podge the background papers on art canvasesand then apply the flowers. You would definitely want to use the matte sealer for a piece of art that is not protected by glass.

Since I already had the mats and frames, the only cost was for the glue pen and sealer. So for around $15.00 I got three pieces of custom, DIY Pressed Flower Art for my entry walls.

Ann, I notice you change your art work in your frames frequently. How do you organize yourself with prints and these flower press pictures especially. I don’t imagine they go in a file folder….also, how about your pillow covers? Do you store things by season or all pillow cases together? I’m curious because I don’t feel like my stuff is very accessible in its current state. Thanks for sharing…..might make a blog post?

Absolutely beautiful! Love Anne’s comment using a letter from her father, WWII veteran, as her background. I have all my letters from my husband, Vietnam War veteran, and I will use special ones for the background. Do you think I could use my dried lavender?

At first I was bummed because I haven’t watered a such as I should have and a lot of my flowers look withered and not so pretty. But then I remembered I had pressed several leaves and done nothing with them. I’m now super excited to do this and actually be ready for fall! I also have a few bird feathers and I wonder if they might press well…..

Hi Ann, I have been meaning to press flowers for a project using my Mom’s letters to my Dad from WW2 as the backdrop paper…this has spurred me on…we used to do this when we were ‘kids’…your blog is so refreshing. Thank you !!!….Smiles….Anne

I love the look of art with the pressed flowers. It’s simple and elegant and I’ve always wanted to try it so this time I think I really will. I have some empty walls in a guest room and I think this is the perfect idea for simple lovely art. Thank you as always – I always enjoy your blog.

This couldn’t have come at a better time. We buried my mom on Monday, she had been living with me the last couple of months. You Know how hard this has been for me. I took some of the flowers from the gravesite and was wondering what I could do to preserve them. You came through for me. Thank you! Patti

Hi Ann, Thanks for the memories with this post. Used to press flowers as a child and had forgotten that its and easy décor trick. Back in the day it was a common practice to dry flowers from a special occasion. Have to tell you that I found dried flowers in an old family Bible. They brought me to tears as I wondered what the occasion was and who actually put them there. With that in mind, I think these would make wonderful Christmas gifts for my children. I love my garden and this would be a reminder of Mom’s garden and how she loved it. :-)

These are so pretty Ann, it brings back memories when I was a child. I remember seeing this, maybe not as nice as you have presented it here. Looks awesome thanks for the downloads as well with the paper! I may have to try this once I get some time !

i love these Ann! I actually have a flower press I haven’t used in years and years. I covered a hat box with dried flowers and pearl strands on top that were my grandmother’s and gave it to our daughter to keep her wedding veil in 24 years ago. Oh how I miss these old crafts…thanks for this updated idea and for motivating me to find that old press. ????

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